--- title: "Tesla Factory Shut Down by Suspected Arson Attack" description: "An activist group claimed to be behind the fire, which cut off power to the Tesla factory on Tuesday morning." date: "2024-03-05" modified: "2024-03-05" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-factory-shut-down-by-suspected-arson-attack" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "elon musk" - "environment" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Factory Shut Down by Suspected Arson Attack ![An activist group claimed to be behind the fire, which cut off power to the Tesla factory on Tuesday morning.]() *\Image: Sean Gallup via Getty / Futurism\* ## Pylon Pyre A Tesla factory outside Berlin was forced to stop work and evacuate all its employees after a suspected arson attack left the site without power, [*Reuters* reports](). The suspected attack targeted a large electricity pylon in a field near the factory, which was set ablaze early Tuesday morning. Police said that the fire didn't spread to or damage the building, but that the burning of the pylon also cut off power to the wider region, [according to *The New York Times*](). A Tesla spokesperson confirmed to multiple outlets that work had been halted and that all employees had safely been evacuated. It's unclear when production will resume. ## Taking Credit Police said that the perpetrators haven't been officially identified, but Berlin newspaper [*Tagesspiegel* reports]() that a left-wing activist organization called "Vulkangruppe," or Volcano Group, had claimed responsibility for the arson attack in a lengthy letter sent to the paper. "We sabotaged Tesla," an [online version of the letter]() stated, as translated by *Reuters*. "Tesla consumes earth, resources, people, workers and in return spits out 6,000 SUVs, killer cars and monster trucks each week." Authorities said they are working on confirming the letter's authenticity, *Reuters* reported. According to *NYT*, activists under the name "Vulkangruppe" also claimed to be behind another attack on the factory's construction site in 2021. Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded to the news of the attack's alleged perpetrators, condemning their actions. "These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they're puppets of those who don't have good environmental goals," Musk [posted on X](), formerly Twitter. "Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm." ## Tree Tutelage The Tesla factory, officially called Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, has been the subject of controversy since it opened two years ago. It's the electric vehicle automaker's first and only manufacturing site in Europe, and thus plays a pivotal role in the Musk-led company's ambitions in the continent. As part of its expansion agenda, Tesla plans to double the factory's manufacturing capacity to a million cars per year. Contentiously, that includes clearing 250 acres of nearby forest to make room for additional buildings and a rail yard. But those ambitions have been met with resistance by locals. In February, residents in the surrounding Grünheide municipality [voted overwhelmingly against]() Tesla's plans to cut down trees for the Gigafactory's expansion. The vote, however, was nonbinding, which is perhaps why environmental activists still felt compelled to stage another recent protest. Since last week, [according to *The Associated Press*](), between 80 and 100 activists have been camping in the woods that Tesla plans to raze, pitching tents and setting up tree houses. Police said at the time that they didn't feel that they had to take action — but with this suspected arson attack, that may change. **More on Tesla:** *[Man Alarmed When Cybertruck's Steering and Brakes Fail With Wife and Toddler in Vehicle]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()